Sugar High Friday #31- Neutral Territory

This month's theme for Sugar High Friday, an event created by Jennifer at Domestic Goddess, is very clever in my opinion. Tara at Seven Spoons is hosting this round with the theme of Neutral Territory, meaning sweet things in the brilliant or soft shades of white. My favorite cookie just happens to be the creamiest shade of ivory. Now, I can't claim to have created these cookies. I discovered them on baking sheet, now Baking Bites, right before this past Thanksgiving. I baked up a batch to take to our family dinner and they were a huge hit. In fact, the cookies were gone before we even had Thanksgiving dinner! I made a double batch for Christmas, and the kids were over the moon for them. If they asked for a cookie, despite the wide variety available, they meant my cookies. So I just can't be more grateful to Nicole for putting that recipe up. These cookies are easy and quick to pop out of the kitchen, making them even more appealing. Not to mention that the possibility for variations are endless, as many flavors of cheesecake exist, you can create it's cookie counterpart. But, as many different additions I've thought of, I've never gotten around to messing with them. This cookie is perfect just the way it is, in my opinion.

Cheesecake Cookies
Recipe from Baking Bites
1/2 cup of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softenend
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup all purpose flour

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, beat together softened cream cheese and butter. Gradually beat in sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and salt.
• In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder, and mixing by hand or at low speed, add to cream cheese mixture.
• Drop by rounded tablespoon full onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes until the bottom edge just barely turns brown.

My notes: The recipe doesn't really specify salted or unsalted. I use salted because I like that bit of saltiness against the sweet of the sugar and cream cheese, despite the 1/4 teaspoon salt you also add. And I use neufchatel cheese, which has 1/3 less fat than regular cream cheese. Personally, my oven's temperature means I take the cookies out after about 10 minutes. I use two baking sheets, so that I can set one on the rack to cool, while the other one is in the oven. These cookies are very soft, so allowing them to cool on the cookie sheet before transferring to the wire rack let's them set up a bit.

Sugar High Friday #29

Last month for my first Sugar High Friday, originally created by Domestic Goddess, I was super early, ahead of the game with anticipation. This time around I'm barely squeezing in before the deadline. This time is probably a more accurate portrayal of me, the procrastinator. This month it's being hosted by Chocolate In Context and so it should be no surprise the theme is raw chocolate. Since I'm just a newbie I decided to stick with unsweetened cocoa powder. I went scouting for recipes, and added the extra requirement of it being something I could try out my new Kitchenaid mixer with. I settled on a recipe that is no stranger to the food blog world- Chocolate Biscotti, recipe courtesy of Dorie Greenspan, by way of Peabody. This recipe was super easy, especially with my new toy.

Chocolate Biscotti
Recipe by Dorie Greenspan
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Working together with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on a medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes; the mixture may appear crumbly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes; don't worry if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the chopped nuts and chocolate, then turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead in any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.
• Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough into 12 inch long logs. flatten both logs with the palm of your hand, so that they are 1/2 to 1 inch high, about 2 inches across and sort of rectangular. Carefully list the logs onto the baking sheet, and sprinkle each log with a little sugar.
• Bake the logs for about 25 minutes, or until they are just slightly firm. The loafs will spread and crack, which is fine. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, put it on a cooling rack and cool the logs for about 20 minutes. (Leave the oven on.)
• Working with one log at a time, using a long serrated knife, cut each log into slices, between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick. Stand the slices up on the baking sheet- you'll have an army of biscotti- and bake the cookies again, this time for just 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

My notes: I used slivered almonds, and didn't bother chopping them, just to save a little time. I also used semisweet chocolate, because that's what I happened to have. Other than that everything pretty much went exactly as described above. We took some to Josh's aunt & uncle yesterday when we went to pick up the turntable and records, and they were so impressed that I made biscotti. I guess it's one of those things that can be impressive. Personally I think it's the name that makes the biggest impression. If I told them I brought them some hardened cookie slices they might not be as excited. :)

Sugar High Friday #28

Alrighty, to help me stick with my resolution to keep up this blog I decided to have a go at participating in some blog events. This will be my first entry in the monthly Sugar High Friday event, created by the Domestic Goddess and this time being hosted by Cardamom Addict. Not only is this my first entry in Sugar High Friday, but it's my first blog event entry ever. Hopefully I do everything right! So, on to the sweetness.

For round #28 Cardamom Addict has come up with the theme Sweet Seduction. Very fitting for the month of February, no? I was thinking, and thinking, rolling ideas around in my head. And then it hit me while I was re-reading my February issue of MS Living. The very first sight in the "Warming Winter Puddings" article was a delightful looking dish, called Eve's Pudding. Named so for the first lady of Eden and the inclusion of her weapon of seduction, the apple. Cardamom Addict mentioned several different angles to approach from- something you've made to seduce someone, something your planning to make to seduce someone, something someone made to seduce you, or something you wish someone would make to seduce you. In my mind this particular item falls into two of those catagories. I used the possibility of this delicious dish to help sweeten the deal when convincing Josh to take me to Ikea, so I suppose you could say I used it to seduce him. And then, there is the lovely thought of sharing this decidedly British dessert with Colin Firth, after he whipped it up for me. Remember how helpful in the kitchen he was in Bridget Jones' Diary? Before I get too distracted, let's get to the recipe.

Eve's Pudding
Recipe from MS Living; Serves 8 to 10














1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened,
plus more for baking dish
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Salt
1 3/4 pounds baking apples, peeled,
quartered, cored, and cut into 1/8" thick
slices
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
Heavy cream, for serving

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 1/2" square baking dish; set aside. Whisk flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt ina medium bowl; set aside.
• Put apples, 1/4 cup sugar, the lemon juice, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt into a large bowl; toss to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water over top; set aside.
• Put butter and 6 tablespoons sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, alternating with milk. Mix until combined.
• Spread batter over apples, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until batter is cooked through and juices are bubbling, about 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Spoon into dishes; serve drizzled with cream.

My notes: I (so, so, sadly) don't have a stand mixer. I used my regular handheld mixer up until the flour point, and then mixed with a rubber spatula from there. Also, my square baking dish happens to be 8", not the above-mentioned 8 1/2". I baked the pudding on a foil lined baking sheet, in case of any over-spill. None occured, so I imagine that 1/2" isn't all that important. Lastly, I also sprinkled a little cinnamon atop the batter with the remaining sugar, to add a little color, and because I love cinnamon. :)